In all of the healing miracles of Jesus, the primary motive of his healing ministry is to give life and hope whenever there seems to be none or almost disappearing. He himself made this very clear in the Gospel of John when he said “ I have come to give life, life in abundance.” The person whom Jesus healed in the Gospel today lacked that “life in abundance” that Jesus speaks of. Hearing and speaking are two of the most important essential qualities of a human person. Though not to have them does not make us less human, but it does affect tremendously the quality of one’s life. Hearing and talking are part of our essence as relational beings every day — sometimes we do more talking than hearing. So we can only imagine the suffering of that deaf and mute person in the Gospel today. He not only suffers interiorly, but was also suffering from the negative judgment of the people around him.
I have the great privilege to be involved in the Deaf Ministry of the Archdiocese of Portland. I have celebrated sign language Mass for them. One time after the Mass, I was talking with one of them, and he was explaining in sign language that to be deaf is not easy at all; many times they feel embarrassed especially when someone tries to shout at them in order to make them hear, making them feel all the more helpless. In short, their disability can sometimes alienate them from others. In the Gospel today, Jesus has showed us how to relate with a person whose interiority is so fragile because of his disability. We were told that Jesus took him away from the crowd, away from the judging eyes of the people, and from there he cured him. He took him away from the people because he did not consider him as a case, but as a person who might have been more embarrassed if he was cured in public. We were told that Jesus put his hand on the man’s ears and touched his tongue with spittle. During the time of Jesus, the Jews believed that spittle had a curative quality so the man could understand very well that what Jesus was trying to do was to cure him. Jesus cured the man in a manner that he would understand. As Jesus restored him to full physical health, Jesus was at the same time restoring his full dignity and his standing in the community. He gave him new life and hope or in the words of the crowd, “He has done all things well”, echoing the words of God in Genesis after creation, “he saw everything good.” For indeed, the man is now freed from the labels and judgments of other people.
Ephphatha! – Be open. Jesus is telling us the same healing word right now. We might not be physically mute or deaf, but one can also experience deafness and muteness on different levels: deaf from the call of forgiveness and reconciliation from those people who might have hurt and wronged us; deaf from the cries and agonies of those who are struggling to provide for themselves - the poor, the homeless; deaf or indifference to the teachings of the Church that might be challenging and hard to follow; or probably deaf for the pleadings and requests of our parents to do our best with our studies; or playing deaf when our teachers and parents ask us to do something for our own good. One can also be mute on telling the truth, mute in expressing our fears and concerns to those who care and love us, or mute in defending our faith in public. The list can go on and on. As one Spanish writer puts it, “there is no worst deaf than someone who could not hear, but there is no thing much worst, than for someone to hear from one ear, and just let it go/pass to the other ear.” Or in the words of Jesus in criticism of the hardness of the hearts of the Pharisees, “do you have eyes but not see, ears but not hear?”
Let us be inspired by the courage, sincerity and humility of the man with the speech impediment in the Gospel. And like him, may we be able to cry out and beg the Lord for healing - healing from whatever pain, suffering, difficulties, frustrations, fears, doubts - anything that bothers and concerns us. That the Lord may touch us and speak that same word "Ephphatha!” "Be opened." Part of the Rite of Baptism is actually the Ephphetha or the Prayer Over the Ears and Mouth, which is optional here in the US. This is done immediately after giving the candle to the godparents. The priest touches the ears and mouth of the child being baptized with his thumb saying “The Lord Jesus made the deaf hear and the dumb speak. May he soon touch your ears to receive his word, and your mouth to proclaim his faith, to the praise and glory of God the Father.” And as we experience God's healing touch, may we also be bold and courageous enough to proclaim to the world the wonders that God has done for us - not for our own sake- but for others so they too may experience the healing touch of God. Spread the same love that you have received from God. Pass it on!
This weekend at our Vigil Mass, we are privileged to once again welcome the seminarians and the retired priests of the Archdiocese of Portland. We have this long and beautiful tradition in our parish of honoring our seminarians and retired priests at the beginning of the school year. We are profoundly grateful to Archbishop Alexander Sample for gracing this occasion and presiding at our Vigil Mass together with other concelebrants who are involved in the formation of the seminarians. Thanks to the Vocation Committee of our parish for organizing and spearheading this annual event. They certainly do great work! – Fr. Cary